Today, as part of our Black History Month celebrations, we explored the life and work of Augusta Savage, an inspirational African American sculptor and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. She was celebrated for her expressive sculptures, particularly her portraits and depictions of people, and for her contribution to the arts and her dedication to supporting other Black artists. One of her most famous works is The Harp, a sculpture inspired by the song Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Inspired by Augusta Savage’s incredible work, we decided to become sculptors ourselves! We created two exciting creative stations: a self-portrait station, where the children could explore facial features and represent themselves through sculpture, and an animal observation and modelling station, where they could carefully observe animals and bring their ideas to life using clay.

Before beginning our creations, we came together to look at examples of Augusta Savage’s artwork and discuss what we noticed. The children were encouraged to share their thoughts, explore different shapes and textures, and think about how sculptors use materials to express their ideas.

We provided a wonderful range of tools to support the children’s creativity and exploration, including cutters, golf tees, cotton buds, mini hammers, rolling pins and spreaders. The children had the freedom to choose what they wanted to create and experiment with different ways of shaping, pressing, rolling and adding detail to their clay sculptures.

Throughout the activity, we continued our conversations about Augusta Savage, her achievements and her artistic legacy. The children demonstrated fantastic observational skills, imagination and creativity as they carefully considered the features of faces and animals and explored how to recreate them in three dimensions.

It was wonderful to see the children making independent choices, experimenting with different tools and proudly expressing their individual ideas. This hands-on experience not only supported their developing fine motor skills and understanding of shape, form and texture, but also encouraged them to appreciate the work of an inspirational Black artist and celebrate her lasting contribution to the world of art.

We are so proud of our little sculptors! Their enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity made this a truly engaging learning experience.